QT 30 Oct 17, Isa 53:2, Jesus is the proof of God's existence

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
7	10/30	Isa 52:13-53:3	Isaiah 53:2 (ESV) — 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.	Speaking of Jesus, Isaiah tells us that he will fail the world's standard for interest or entertainment. He would not make it as an actor. His popularity as a speaker was due to the compelling message and not his appearance. He was the word of God. He spoke the word of God. And as such, his words had a powerful effect upon people.	Most people who are against Christianity dare not read the scriptures. Many who have tried to refute Jesus by reading the scriptures have turned to him instead. It would take a very hard heart to ignore the beauty of Jesus' words. Jesus does not fit any of our stereotypes. God does seem to be in a category all of his own. He was not there for power or prestige or popularity or some self-indulgence in a psychological weakness. Jesus just was what he still is, God.	Father, thank you for the son. Thank you for the confirmation of the message personally. It is unarguable except if a person does not want to believe what was written. You have given the world tremendous evidence of your existence and who you are. Our refusal to believe is our own steadfast sin. Open our eyes to our foolishness. Help others to see Jesus in me.

QT 26 Oct 17, Isa 52:9-10, We have let the enemy lay waste to our souls

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
7	10/26	Isa 52:7-12	Isaiah 52:9–10 (ESV) — 9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.	Before salvation, we are all waste places. And physically, we live in a country that is becoming a waste place. At times, it even looks like it when we see the litter than covers the roadsides. But this passage is about an enemy who has laid waste a country. Our enemy is Satan and he has destroyed our culture. He has destroyed our nation, our morals, our beliefs, and our faith. He has substituted a new faith, the Babylonian world view, which is represented in Nebuchadnezzar's speech before he went crazy: "I am god."	Not only as a nation, but as individual, we have been laid waste by Satan. Our morality, our language, our civility, and our faith has been laid waste. We think we are own gods and that we direct the affairs of our life. We think no one rules. We think no one can tell us what to do. We think there are no consequences to our sin. We are blinded and deceived the farther we travel on the road to Babylon.	Father, open our eyes. Help us to see that life does not work without you. Wake us up. I pray for your spirit to convict us of our sin, your righteousness, and a coming judgment for our sin. Have mercy on us as a nation and as individuals.

QT 25 Oct 17, Isa 52:1, God will restore things as he originally planned for things to be

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
7	10/25	Isa 52:1-6	Isaiah 52:1 (ESV) — 1 Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.	God is telling Jerusalem that things will not always be as they appear. There will be a time of rejoicing again. Jerusalem will not be trampled by Gentile sinners but rather by saints. Things will be different. God will rule and righteousness will prevail. Right will not be scoffed at, and wrong will not be honored. Life will be restored to a manner that is healthy for our souls.	I struggle looking at the world around me and seeing the foolish choices that we make. We work so hard to prove that God does not exist, and yet there is more than sufficient evidence. Certainly the knowledge we have gained of our DNA is amazing. But Jesus visited the earth. His words, his message, his miracles, and his empty grave are more than sufficient evidence. To the person who argues otherwise, his argument is not an argument but an attempt to excuse himself from judgment.	Father open our eyes to truth. The enemy has clouded our minds with untruths. The enemy has create a word view, Babylon, that makes truth seem like babel. We think we are so modern and so clever, and yet we are such poor thinkers today. Have mercy on us, please have mercy on us.

QT 19 Oct 17, 2 Tim 3:13-14, The word of God takes precedence over culture

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
7	10/19	2 Tim 3:10-17	13 while xevil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and ybeing deceived. 14 But as for you, zcontinue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom1 you learned it …  2 Tim 3:13-14	Very clearly, Paul tells Timothy that evil people and imposters (those who pretend to be believers) will go from bad to worse (in behavior) and will continue to deceive and be deceived (in their teaching and philosophy of life).	We see this in the church today. It is the people who are integrating culture and world philosophy with bible truth. But it doesn't integrate, it changes the word of God into something it is not. It is wrong. The protection is given later in the passage (verse 16) -- we must immerse ourselves in truth. The bible alone is the standard.	Father, protect me from the common (and becoming more common) practice of misinterpreting scripture in the light of culture. Where they agree, that is different, but the word must always be the final authority.

QT 18 Oct 17, Heb 10:14, Jesus is the final sacrifice

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
6	10/18	Heb 10:11-18 (key: 14)	Hebrews 10:14 (ESV) — 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.	The OT sacrifices could never take away sin (verse 11). They could cover a person, but they could not renew a person. Consequently, heaven was not open to the believer because of his sin. When he died, he went into the earth to Hades to Abraham's bosom and awaited his new home in Heaven.	Jesus has made us perfect in God's eyes. We are in a process of sanctification, change. But we are positionally perfect. We will soon have new bodies. We will soon live on a new earth, recreated to be like God intended the earth to be.	Father, nothing we did, I did, gave us this great salvation. You paid the prices for us. You are using us to accomplish your will on this planet. You love man, but he must believe to receive the free gift of life. Help me to live in such a way as to bring others to faith.

QT 16 Oct 17, Ps 119:18-19, We are sojourners in His creation

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
6	10/16	Ps 119:17-24	Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! Psalms 119:18‭-‬19 ESV http://bible.com/59/psa.119.18-19.ESV	I truly am a sojourner. As the old song says, "this world is not my home, I am just a passin through, my treasure is laid up, somewhere beyond the blue."	I need God's word, more than I reaize and more than I live. It is the answer for a sojourner. Travelers from foreign lands don't know the customs, the foods, the rules, or anyone to help them. That is us on this earth. God designed us to live here, but only under certain parameters. When we step out of those parameters, his commands, we risk our well-being.	Father, open my eyes, but have mercy on me as well. I want to understand your world, but the part of me that lacks courage prefers the easy way. I pray that the things I teach will be honoring to you.

QT 12 Oct 17, Ps 119:15, God's commands have a real purpose for our ultimate fulfillment

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
6	10/12	Ps 119:9-16	Psalm 119:15 (ESV) — 15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.	God's word has purpose. It is not haphazard, but has intent. It is written with our design and creation in mind. If we want to truly enjoy life, it is found in obedience to the commands of God.	The world lays its bait to snare us into the trap. The bait looks good and provides immediate pleasure, but obedience to God's word provides long term pleasure and real joy.	Father, help me today to meditate on a specific verse of your word. Help me to see its application to my life. Help me to live a life in obedience to your commands.

QT 11 Oct 17, Ps 119:2, I am thankful to be blessed with opportunities to minister

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
6	10/11	Ps 119:1-8	Psalm 119:2 (ESV) — 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,	There is a blessing to those who keep, obey, the word of God. And by obeying, it is not a rote sense, but rather a heart-felt desire.	The blessing does not mean physical, although in the OT, the covenant was a physical blessing-dominated covenant. The blessing can come many ways. It can come in service. It can come through relationships with people. It can come through our relationship with God. It can come through our emotional framework and the peace we experience in life. How has God blessed me?	Father, you have blessed me by allowing me to serve you. You have put me in multiple opportunities to live for you and to minister to others. I do not deserve such blessings. I do not deserve such honor. Forgive me for not being thankful enough or worse, thinking I earned something. Forgive me and thank you for the blessings.

QT 9 Oct 17, Prov 28:15a, Beware of the attitude of a leech

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
6	10/9	Prov 28:12-16	Prov 28:15a The leech has two daughers, 'Give! Give!' they cry. ...	The leech of Proverbs is only interested in what it gets out of life. It does not care for others. It does not think of others. It is loud, and has to cry out twice to make sure it is heard.	How am Iike a leech where I am more concerned with my personal struggles than of the struggles of the people around me? Is my agenda always first? Does my point of view always need to be heard? Does pride cloud my view of others	Father, Open my eyes to my selfishness. Help me to see how I really treat others. Help me to think of how you would handle a situation. Help me see another's problems as more important than my problems and struggles. Help me to be selfless and not self-centered.

QT 5 Oct 17, James 1:12, Stoicism and remaining steadfast are not the same thing

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
5	10/5	James 1:12-18 (key: 13)	James 1:12 (ESV) — 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.	Remaining steadfast under trial is a positive quality. In fact, God promises a reward, the crown of life. The crown is not to all people but only to those who love him, meaning a believer in Christ.	How do we differentiate stoicism, pride, and an inability to face your fears and feelings with this idea of remaining steadfast. I think there is a very big difference. I used to play the role of the heroic stoic, but it was false, and it was a show to protect my pride. I wanted people to see me as mature with strong faith, and I did not want to face my own emotions. God broke me of my sin. But it think it is misleading to not understand this verse with mature eyes. Remaining steadfast is not stoicism but faith that God will take pain, real pain, and bring good out of it. And I think the only one who can measure true steadfastness is God himself.	Father, protect me from my pride. Help me to always be honest with you and my feelings. Let me tell you my hurts. Let me be an encouragement to others of honesty and vulnerability. And help me to remain steadfast in my faith, and my relationship with you as my heavenly Father, who has adopted me into his family.

QT 4 Oct 17, 1 Jn 1:1-2, Wake up to the truth, the NT stories are true and challenge our view of reality

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
5	10/4	1 John 1:1-2:3	1 John 1:1–2 (ESV) — 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—	John cannot be more clear. John says that we saw him with our eyes and we touched him. Jesus Christ was real and the events recorded by John are real. Unlike other religions, we have multiple eyewitnesses to the miracles and words of Jesus. John is almost pleading to his hearers. It is all true. Believe it.	Ever the cynics, we don't believe a lot of what we are told, and believe even more of things that aren't true (because someone suggested it). We are foolish and darkened in our thinking. We have replaced logic with feelings. We argue on the basis of anecdotes and small sample sizes. We look for the things that support our pre-conceived notions of the world. If something does not fit our narrative or meme, it is tossed aside. We are the most foolish of creatures, believing that belief alone is sufficient to draw a conclusion.	Father, I am also susceptible to the idea that things outside of my biblical narrative are not true. Help me to remain open to arguments and to study your scriptures based not on what I want them to say, but what in fact you are saying. Protect me from my sinful self.

QT 2 Oct 17, Phil 3:19-21, We are called to live for eternity not for this world

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
5	10/2	Phil 3:8-21	Philippians 3:19–21 (ESV) — 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.	Paul, in the earlier verse says these verses with tears. It hurts that people have bought a lie and that they live as enemies of the cross. They live for the wrong things. But we have a totally different hope. Someday our weak bodies will be transformed to be like his glorious body. We are new creatures now by our faith. We will have new bodies as well when he appears.	I don't know if I focus enough on my future or on how my actions in this life may influence my future. I know that there is nothing I can do to work or gain my salvation. It (salvation) is bought and paid for by Jesus, but I can work to earn crowns that signify how thankful I am for the new life I live in Christ. If I really believe these words, what am I doing to gain crowns for the kingdom?	Father, help me to see the opportunities that you provide for me to serve you. Help me to be faithful to those opportunities. Today, I pray that I will finish a letter to Brian to help him start his discipleship ministry in his church.